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Orizon : What’s new in v3.1

A new upgrade for the Cybook Orizon firmware is available now! Get it over the air via WiFi or download it from our site. Here’s what’s new in version 3.1:

What’s new in version 3.1

Home

Improved user interface.

Ebooks and web favorites can be moved back and forth by sliding the finger (like turning a page).

Library

Improved user interface.

Additional sort option to also sort by “Author” and “Publisher”.

Home & Library

Thumbnails and metadata are automatically updated when content is updated.

For ebook loans, remaining time (before expiration) appears at the bottom of thumbnails.

Reader

Faster page turn.

Option to hyphenate text for better typographic white space.

Option to switch to “Night Mode” (white text on black background).

Option to ignore publisher’s original styles (allows full customization of the publication and also faster processing of complex editions).

For raw text files (txt), language is automatically detected to apply the right hyphenation rules.

Web Browser

Improved browser response time (can be interrupted at any moment).

Improved cache support (faster navigation).

Web favorites are synchronized with the “Home” page (most recently used displayed first).

Bug fix: cookies (Gmail now keeps user authenticated).

Bug fix: no more unexpected “Connection timed out” messages.

Network

Faster downloads.

Wi-Fi MAC address, unique address used to connect to Wi-Fi networks, is now available from 3 locations: (1) “About” box (2) when manually configuring a Wi-Fi network (3) in file <Cybook/system/wifi.txt>.

Improvements

Instructions for a manual update:

To install the update manually, place the .bin file that you’ve downloaded at the root of the internal memory of your Cybook.

Then, shut down the Cybook and turn it on again while holding down the central button of the directional pad until the installation begins. After a few seconds, the installation will be complete and your Orizon will re-start itself; you’re ready to read.

/! Very important: make sure to charge the battery before launching the update.

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48 thoughts on “Orizon : What’s new in v3.1”

Great update!
Love the night mode(although not sure why it is called that?). I have noticed a lot of bug fixes in the browser. I really like the new keyboard.
It says “improved battery life” how much improved ( a few minutes or days?) also I wonder how that is done.
I mostly like the new interface.
My ONE complaint with this update is that now were it used to show 4 webpage links it now shows only the one link to the book store! I realize that you can scroll to see other ones however this seems like both a wast of time and a wast of battery. one of the things I always liked about bookeen was that I felt it was ok to get books from the library or Gutenberg (or any book store I felt like). Now however with the big BOOKSTORE link on the home page I feel like bookeen is trying to sell me books( which won’t work untill the bookstore actually sells books written in english). Aside from my not liking feeling like I should be buying books it is just not practical! why show one link when you can fit four???

Hello Bob,
thanks for your comment! We’re really happy to know you like the new upgrade.

To answer some of your questions: the name “Night Mode” was originally used for inversed-colour displays on backlit screens. In a darkened room, reading light text on a dark background causes less eye strain than a bright white (light emitting) background does. We kept the name because many people who already use it are used to that name, and it makes sense to stick to established terminology, even if, obviously, since e-paper screens don’t emit light there is no problem with eye-strain, whatever the time of day. 🙂 As it happens, inversed displays are also easier to read for people with sight problems, and it was with that use in mind (and many requests from our users) that we implemented this feature. As for improved battery life, some improvements can be gained by optimising the software, and our team is always looking for ways to do this. I will see if I can get some figures about the improvement and get back to you.
Thanks for the feedback about the browser and keyboard, we’re glad you like them.
Concerning the ebookstore link, I will pass your feedback along to our interface team. You make a valid point! Thanks for your message.
Happy reading,
Bookeen Team

Hello Nadine,
thanks for your message. We’re glad to know you’re happy with the new firmware. I will request some more information about the improved battery life and get back to you. I can already tell you that the improvements have been made by optimising the software of the Orizon, so that basic operations use less energy. We know that the Orizon uses more power than (for instance) the Cybook Opus, due to the touch interface and the WiFi connection, and our dev team is always working on ways to improve battery life.
Note however that the number of page turns indicated on the site is meant as an indication only, and only applies to specific (test) conditions, namely: with a fully charged battery, you turn pages continuously until the battery runs out. Don’t forget that in normal use conditions, other factors will affect the battery life, for instance using the wifi connection, periods of time between uses (although the battery drain is negligeable, all batteries will slowly drain even when a device is turned off; that’s why it’s important to charge a device fully when you first get it for example), and also that when reading, a “page turn” really refers to any change of the display, and therefore also includes things like displaying or hiding the menu, changing the text size, changing the font, navigating through your library… etc.
I hope this information helps!
Best regards,
Bookeen Team

Hello Sheldon,
thanks for your message. Yes, the Orizon manual will also be updated to reflect the latest changes, and will be available in the downloads section of our website.
Best regards,
Bookeen Team

Hello Paul,
comments on our blog are moderated, to avoid spam. 🙂 As a result, sometimes there can be a slight delay before they are posted. Thanks for your understanding. We hope you are enjoying the new firmware.
Best regards,
Bookeen Team

One thing I would like to see corrected is the impossibility to use the home screen with the buttons: it currently requires touching the screen, which I do not like. Being able to disable the touch screen would be nice if it could decrease the power consumption, for people like me that do not like it.

Oh, and of course, one thing I already mentioned: a CBZ support would be really cool, as it would make the Cybook Orizon suitable for reading comics, opening it to a new public.

Very nice update, with cool features. I really lice the hyphenation and the ability to discard the book styles (I have some books that stupidly use HUGE fonts).

For those wondering how to upgrade with USB instead of wifi, one has to put the CybUpdate.bin file at the Cybook Orizon root, then shut it down completely, and restart it while holding the central button.

Bookeen, you should really document this procedure, perhaps on a file or comment distributed along with the update file, just as the release notes. Or even in the release notes themselves. It took me half an hour to find a hint to achieve that.

Hello Elessar,
you’re quite right, this procedure should be documented and in fact it was meant to be indicated at the same time as the firmware was made available, I’ve reminded our web team about it!
Best regards,
Bookeen Team

Hello, I cant update the firmware on an Orizon with the last version 3.1 because i dont have wifi, I have internet cable, i’ve downloaded the update file CybUpdate.bin and put it to memory card and followed the instruction but nothing happends, if someone can help me, thank you very much

Hello Cris,
sorry you were having some difficulty with the manual update procedure, this information will be mentioned on our site! In the meantime, if you are still looking for this info, here is what to do as mentioned by Elessar as well:
download the .bin file from our site and put it at the root of the Orizon memory, then shut it down completely, and restart it while holding the central button.
For technical questions like this, don’t hesitate to contact our support directly via the online form on our site: http://www.bookeen.com/en/supportcontact/
Best regards,
Bookeen Team

I read your reply to Nadine.
Your point about turning pages continually shows how the number of page turns was determined. However I don’t see how the three weeks reading two hours a day is come up with! What are the test conditions for that? Also does a small page change (like moving a finger over the bookstore link in order to get at the other links) take the same amount of power as a bigger change?

And I would like to say that I now have an appreciation for the easy firmware upgrading experience. I tried to update the firmware on some other devices I have and it did not work nearly as well as the way the orizon does it!

Hello Bob,
that figure is an estimation, based on calculation of battery consumption per page turn / battery life in sleep mode and other factors, and from a baseline battery life as described previously. I’m afraid I can’t give you more details than that about those calculations.
Concerning your other question, any change in the display will take *some* power of course, however for small changes (like scrolling through links, etc.) there is only a partial refresh of the screen rather than a full refresh; the power consumption will therefore be proportionately lower depending on how large a zone is refreshed.
We are very glad to hear that you had such a positive upgrade experience! We try to make it as easy as possible. 🙂
Best regards,
Bookeen Team

Hello Franco,
thanks for your comment. A very interesting idea, to display the cover of your book in sleep mode. I will pass this along to our dev team. We’ve had many requests already to be able to personnalise these images so I know they are already thinking about this feature.
We’ll keep you posted as soon as we have some news about Bluetooth. I believe you’ve seen already our recent announcement about this.
Best regards,
Bookeen Team

Hello Giancarlo,
It’s hard to say without more information but it’s likely the problem you describe comes from the file rather than the Orizon, especially if it happens with the same files but not all files. For more detailed assistance, please contact our support directly: http://www.bookeen.com/en/supportcontact/
Best regards,
Bookeen Team

Hello Riccardo,
I’m not a technician so I advise you to confirm this by contacting our support directly via the form on our site here http://www.bookeen.com/en/supportcontact/ but I believe that it is better to avoid draining completely the battery. I know that some types of batteries experience a “memory effect” if you don’t drain / recharge them completely but I believe this is no longer the case with more recent types of batteries. As I said, I am not a tech so this information should be taken with a large grain of salt, however personally I recharge my battery a little at a time very often (whenever I connect my Cybook to the computer to add books, for instance) and I’ve seen no degradation of the battery life as a result. I hope that helps! Don’t hesitate to contact our support for a more authoritative answer.
Happy reading,
Bookeen Team

Just installed the update and impressed with the increased responsiveness; the refresh rate has markably improved. Silly question perhaps, but where can I find the “night mode”. I seem unable to find it in the settings somehow… Thanks!

Hello Leon,
yes, I’m using exactly the same version / build as you are.
To be precise, the “Layout” option is available from the menu displayed during reading (when you have a book open). The menu options are different depending on context (while reading or in Library view). Are you displaying your menu in English? It will of course be a different name in different languages, in French the options are “Affichage” > “Mode Nuit”.
Best regards,
Bookeen Team

Hello Leon,
just an idea, is the book you’re currently reading, by any chance a pdf rather than an epub? The menu options you’ve listed are the pdf options. The “Layout” option I mentioned is only available for epub books. Try to open an epub book, and look at the menu there. I think that will answer your question. 🙂 If you can, I recommend you use epub format rather than pdf; unless the pdf is specifically formatted for the device you’re using and your display preferences, epub will give you a much better reading experience. And also night mode. 😉
Best regards,
Bookeen Team

Hello Emanuele,
thanks for your message. You are many to request a search feature and our dev team is working on that! In the meantime, did you know that there are several ways you can sort your library, which might make it easier for you to find the book you want? In the Library view, open the menu and choose “Sort…” then you can display your books by Title, Author, Publisher, File Size, File Date, File Name, or File Path. If you’ve also sorted them using folders and activated folder view, it can make a huge difference when you want to quickly find a specific book. I hope that helps!
Best regards,
Bookeen Team

It would be great to be able to disable the “Internet” section completely.
It’s simply too easy to press it by accident, and then it takes about a minute before the wifi initializes and allows you to jump back.

Hi,
Like Nadine, I also have a problem getting the 3.1 upgrade to start, even if I follow the instructions (I think). Here is what I do:
I connect my Orizon to the PC, and the memory is opened at a drive letter, in my case E:. That’s where I place the file CybUpdate.bin.
Then I disconnect it and close the Orizon, by pressing the powerbutton.
Then I press the center button while pressing the powerbutton again. It just starts up, showing the home page. No upgrading process starts.
My current version is 3.0
I think I read somewhere (but I can’t find it now) that it can be shut down in different ways, and for the upgrade it’s required that it’s shut down “completely”. Is it here I’m doing wrong?

Hello Perry,
for technical questions, please contact our support directly: http://www.bookeen.com/en/supportcontact/
The only suggestion I can make is to shut off your Orizon completely via the menu option, rather than using the button.
Thanks,
Bookeen Team

Hello cybook, one problem I have is the wifi connection.
At my school we have to login to our wifi with a user name and a password.
When I start the internet browser on the Orizon, I am asked to type a wifi key.

This way I can’t connect at my school. Is there any way to make me insert my user name and password instead of the wifi key? Or should my school have a wifi key. They are WPA secured.

What I forgot to say was an idea for a new update. What about a clock in the Orizon as a screensaver or in the menu? And what about custom screensavers?
The last part wouldn’t be hard I suppose, but I don’t know if there are more people asking for this.

Another idea: Hold the power button to shut down. Tap it to go to sleep mode.
I think it’s strange to go through the menu, homepage, settings, turn off, yes when you also could do this by holding a button. It’s just the powerup form turned off mode reversed.

I see there is plenty activity on Odyssey firmware front, I hope us Orizon users haven’t been forgotten. The one update that is really needed IMO is the ability to a) search within a file, both epub and pdf, and b) even better, search for text across the library. Lack of text search is the one thing that prevents me from recommending Bookeens to others. I find that people are really interested when they see ‘it isn’t a Kindle’ but are put off by the inability to search.

I see that this is a feature that has been promised for many months now. Can it really be that hard?

Hello Phil,
I will pass your message along to our dev team. A new upgrade is in development for the Orizon users, we will keep you posted here as soon as there is some more news.
Best regards,
Bookeen Team

Hello Alex,
thanks for your message. The page turn LED consumes a negligeable amount of power so no need to worry, and it can be useful sometimes to confirm that the Cybook is working since sometimes if a file is very complex or very big, the page turn can take longer than usual (especially for new chapters).
I will pass along your suggestion to our team.
Best regards,
Bookeen Team